


Harangue

by wilyasha



Series: Firewall [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Manipulation, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 02:57:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12003546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilyasha/pseuds/wilyasha
Summary: The figure is familiar, lean and tall and definitely Galra. He doesn't feel anxious anymore, if anything Keith only feels more determined to end the Empire.





	Harangue

**Author's Note:**

> This entire series really diverges from the canon timeline and ventures into AU territory. This story in particular takes place just a week after the events of [Nostalgia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11963526). I wrote a chunk of this after the season three trailer release, the one where Lotor gives his dramatic voiceover speech. I almost crapped my pants when I heard his voice. 
> 
> Content Warnings: No content warnings. If you need something tagged, don't hesitate to tell me.

The Balmera has changed. Once a barren rock stifled by the Empire, it now flourishes. Large blue crystals dot the planet like solid oceans. The once dry earthy smell of the Balmera is moist and heady in his nose. Though he finds himself wishing he’d drank more fluids that morning. Part of him doesn’t want to be here. He’d rather be searching for Shiro. It’s been phoebs. They’ve been liberating planets for phoebs, all without the use of Voltron. He doesn’t even think they’d be able to form Voltron ever again at this rate. 

Coran is the one who coaxes him to join them on a mission to the Balmera. His mother is going to formally address their people. Their worlds have constantly been under Imperial occupation. Larka wants to break that appearance. Everything goes well during the trip. Larka gives an expressive speech about justice and perseverance, dazzling nearly everyone in the audience including himself. She personally greets Shay’s grandmother and is invited to share food at their table. While Coran, Allura, and Keith blanch at the food, Larka eagerly slurps down the strange slug-like offering.

They are returning to the Castle of Lions when Shay pulls him aside. 

“Will you give this to Hunk?” she asks, holding out a smooth brown stone with a curvy font sigil embossed on the flattest side. A hole is drilled into the top where a cord has been strung through. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to see him next with this war going on, but I want him to remember that I’m always there with him, no matter the distance and no matter the battle.” 

Keith doesn’t know what to say. Her words are raw and heartfelt, emotion thick in her melodic voice. He can’t stand it, his lower lip trembling. He wants to see the trust and admiration grow between Shay and Hunk. He wants those feelings to turn into love between the Earthling and Balmeran. He can’t help but think of Shiro. He misses the moment when Shiro would press a kiss to the corner of Keith’s mouth. He misses the forehead kisses most of all. Would Shiro be able to reach his forehead now that he’s much taller than before? Would Shiro even recognize him? He’s thought through many possibilities, different realities where Shiro accepts him: kisses him in front of everyone. And then there are the thoughts of rejection: Shiro’s eyes settling on Keith’s foreign face and wishing they never met on Earth.

“Of course, I will, Shay,” he nods. “I know you and Hunk haven’t known each other for long, but he thinks of you often. I’ll be sure he gets this.”

Shay smiles, warmly. “I’m glad to know that you are of the Galra people, Keith. I know, and now all will know, that there is still good left in your people.”

\--

They travel to the recently freed Puig next. The swarthy people are initially distrustful, but they loosen up slowly at Larka’s words. Larka holds Allura’s hand throughout it all as the Altean princess adds to the conversation. The entire event becomes less of a speech and more of a summit with the natives of Puig asking questions and demanding answers. Larka listens to them all without hesitation.

“I know it is difficult to trust my words,” Larka says as the summit is broadcast to every distant region of the known universe, “for many of your people have been under my father’s tyranny for generations. Suffering under Imperial occupation and colonization, while soldiers and sentries drain your homes and destroy your families. They enslave your children, force them into tunnels and mines, to work until they die. And here I come, a Galra face long hidden asking _you_ for help. And that is the truth. I will not demand your allegiance. I will not demand that you join this coalition against the Empire. So much has already been taken from you. All I ask is for your help. Because I know we cannot bring down the remnants of his regime with just Voltron alone. We must all work together to set ourselves free, free from shrouds of darkness and free from autocracy and savagery. The only way we win this war is by fighting together, protecting each other.”

Later that night, Puig joins the coalition. 

\--

They travel to five different planets in eight quintants. Each meeting is broadcast by relay to every planet capable of deep space travel. It’s blatant what Allura and Larka are planning. They show the Empire that they are supporting all worlds under Galra occupation, but it also paints a target on each one of them. Keith knows they can’t protect the people of those worlds all the time. The people must learn to fight and he voices his opinion as Allura sets the Castle down on the Marmora base’s recently constructed landing pad.

“You want to train these people?” Larka asks, eyes narrowed in thought.

“We can’t be in multiple places at once,” Keith says. “There is no way we can help them all if the Galra decide to attack each planet at the same time. These people need to learn how to protect their own. I watched those people listen to you and Allura, and they look as if they’ve never picked up a weapon in their lives! It’s time that happens! Voltron won’t always be able to save them!”

“Keith, you know we’re going to have to form Voltron sometime.” Allura’s words aren’t a question.

“I can find Shiro,” he says, curtly.

“And what if you can’t?” Coran pipes up from one of the various consoles. “What if he’s truly lost? We must be able to form Voltron. Yes, we could hypothetically train those people, but it’s Voltron’s vision that gives people hope. If you crush that light, this coalition will crumble before it gains traction.”

Keith knows Coran speaks the truth, but he can’t help the roiling anger sloshing around in his gut. He’ll find Shiro.

“I agree with Coran,” Larka says. “You and the remaining paladins will have to figure out how to form Voltron. Even if that means, you Allura, pilot one of them. Voltron is hope. Without it the Blade of Marmora would not have had the will to come out of the shadows.”

Keith can’t believe what his mother is saying.

“But…” she purrs. “I do agree with Kythel. People must know how to protect their own. I’ll speak with Kolivan, perhaps we can spare a few cadets to help train the people.”

She excuses herself, leaving the Castle and heading back to her quarters inside the asteroid. He knows that she’s going to tell Thace about his suggestion during what Lance affectionately calls “date night for Galra mom and Galra dad”. It doesn’t bother him, he just wishes people would realize that Voltron won’t always be there. What happens when the Galra forces are diminished? Does Voltron retire? Does he rebuild with his parents, continue with his search for Shiro, or return to Earth?

Keith rubs his forehead. He feels a tension headache coming on.

\--

It’s a few vargas later when Keith realizes his mother’s family is a ticking time bomb.

“My father built this Empire on the bones of our enemies,” says a disembodied voice, relaxed yet commanding. There’s loud cheering coming from down the hall. “He believed in a world ruled by the strong…”

Keith wanders into the mess hall, but halts at the scene. Everyone has frozen in their spots, some are standing while others are seated. But they all face the large screens decorating the paneled walls. Keith slips through the crowd until he sees Hunk, arms folded across his chest, square jaw tense. A spot just below his right ear slightly twitches with each grind of his molars. 

“…after everything we have done, do we not deserve…”

“What’s going on?” he asks, softly elbowing Hunk in the side.

“Pidge managed to hack into some video feed hitting a relay from Central Command,” he says, not looking away from the screen.

Keith looks towards the front to see Larka and Allura, standing side-by-side, staring at the screen with their fists clenched tightly. His eyes zero in on the screen to see a tall figure. The uniform is familiar, but he’s never seen this face. He’s a Galran who, like Keith's mother, looks Altean. The resemblance is almost uncanny. The only difference between his mother and the person is that his hair is long and white, curling out at the ends. The eyes are what hit him. Yellow sclerae and blue-gray irises… just like his own. Keith’s chest tightens as if struck with a piece of rebar. A stab of coldness makes him stare at his mother.

“Lotor,” he whispers.

Hunk grunts in agreement.

“It is because of our Military and our religion and our conquests that we have been so victorious,” Lotor continues, a pause as his eyes rove over his audience. It’s as if he feeds off their energy. “But there are those who would love to destroy all of my father’s hard work. They would love for the universe to live in fear, for the universe to feel the brutal force of their invasions. They would love to destroy everything that we built together for the past ten thousand years! But I say never again will we be slaves and servants to other kingdoms!” _More cheering._ “Never again will we put other kingdoms before our own people!” _Even louder cheering._ “Never again will we be subjugated by those who think they are better than us!” The cheering drowns out the silence of the mess hall.

Lotor’s face turns mockingly dejected after the cheering ceases.

“I only wish that I could reverse time to bring my sister home,” Lotor continues. Nearly all the eyes in the room are suddenly trained on Larka, but she hasn’t turned away from the screen. Even Allura has turned to her, laying a gentle hand on Larka’s shoulder in hopes of calming the Galran princess. 

“My sweet sister,” Lotor coos. His voice is hazy, saccharine and syrupy. “My sweet sister, Princess Larka, was seduced by the enemy, by a terrorist organization. Nineteen years ago, this group infiltrated her temple on Gal. They waited until I could not protect her anymore and forced her to commit treason and espionage. I wish I could still protect her, but I cannot. She chose her path. She chose to side with Voltron, she chose to side with the fugitive Princess Allura. She chose to help the terrorist Thace Tarkalkel, a spy serving within my father’s ranks as a commander.” There’s a pause and Keith can feel every person in the room. The tension is palpable.

“So as much as this pains me, no matter how much I suffer from her transgressions, I ask you to forget your princess. I ask you to join me. Under my command, we will destroy those traitors! Under my Imperial rule, we will take back the Lions of Voltron! We will restore my father’s order to the universe and to our Empire!” His audience is shouting again, boisterous and loud.

“They’ll eat up any filth he spews from his mouth,” Larka says, fists still clenched as Pidge pauses the video.

“We were expecting this,” Kolivan chuffs. “We knew if the both of you were seen with the Balmera and at other safe zones, Lotor would act. We provoked him, he bit back.”

“He is _unfit_ ,” Larka says. “Lotor is cunning and ruthless. He will twist the Empire in a way that Zarkon could have only imagined.”

“I saw him,” Keith says suddenly. Everyone swivels around to face him. It would be comical in another scenario; one in which Lance would make a joke and Keith would pretend it wasn’t funny even though it was really hilarious. But this isn’t that scenario.

“What?” Lance asks, shocked.

“When Hunk and I were in the weblum, there was this guy.”

“A guy?” Pidge repeats from her seat to his left, her hand pressed against an archaic looking radio relay console.

“He was trapped,” Hunk adds, immediately understanding Keith’s train of thought. “So… we helped each other get out of the space worm.”

“He wouldn’t speak and he kept his helmet tinted the entire time,” Keith continues, “but as soon as we got out, he disappeared.”

“Then how did you know it was him?” Allura asks at the same time Larka asks: “How did he just disappear?”

“The uniform,” Keith clarifies. “He was wearing the same uniform style. At first, I thought he was friendly; it wasn’t the same type of Imperial armor, but it still had the Galra emblem on his escape pod.”

“And we don’t really know how he disappeared, only that he took a bag of scaultrite with him,” Hunk answers Larka.

“We’re not going to talk about the fact that you both went into the belly of a weblum to _personally_ harvest scaultrite?” Antok asks. “Sounds fair.”

“What else were we supposed to do?” Hunk asks, his voice whining in exasperation. “We needed it. And we had Coran’s video from back in the day; albeit it, it wasn’t that up-to-date and there was a huge amount of info missing.”

Keith isn’t listening to Hunk and Antok bickering back and forth with each other. He’s watching Larka, who is looking back at the paused image of Lotor on the screen. Anxiety weighs heavy on her as her brows scrunch together. Lotor is smirking in the candid image. Just a brief moment when he is who he truly is, a moment that most would have missed in that large audience. And it’s almost like he _knows_ that they are watching him, that his sister is watching him.

\--

Hunk is not in his quarters in the Castle, which means he’s in his room at the base. Kolivan assigned them their own personal rooms whenever they needed to bunk at headquarters and Hunk doesn’t mind storing extra equipment in there. Keith finds him, rummaging through a trunk of wiring, unspooling it as he tosses some into another trunk.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Keith asks, after knocking on the frame of the open door.

Hunk looks over his shoulder at the red paladin before turning back to the trunk. “Hey, Galra Keith! I’m just looking for some console add-on for Pidge, but go on. What’s up?” He stands up to face him, his arms holding tangled wires.

“Shay wanted me to give you this…” Keith pulls out the smooth brown stone dangling from the cord. “I know it would be better if you heard it from her, but she just wants you to know that she’s always with you.” He takes a step forward, just as Hunk drops the wires with a heavy rattle. 

The yellow paladin takes the necklace from Keith’s open palm. Hunk’s eyes water and he sniffles. 

“Oh, Keith! Thanks buddy,” he says, smoothing his large thumb across the embossed sigil. “I really appreciate it. Can you help me put it on?”

Keith nods as Hunk turns around, allowing the red paladin to drape the necklace around Hunk before clasping it with the metal hook closure. When it’s settled as a solid weight hanging around Hunk’s neck, he turns and embraces Keith immediately. His face plants itself in Keith’s shoulder.

“It’s going to seriously take some time for me to adjust to this new height, Galra Keith,” Hunk laughs against his shoulder.

Keith laughs with him, pulling away from Hunk’s bear hug. “You and I both.”

“And Keith?”

“Yeah,” he says, looking down at Hunk.

“Shiro is always with you, you know? Wherever he is, he’s with you,” he remarks, hands gripping Keith’s shoulders.

“He’s always with _us_ ,” Keith says with a smile on his face.


End file.
